In the courtyard of the inner keep, the top ten candidates for the officer training exam stood side by side. The training ground's five stories of bannisters were completely silent; the Warrior King had decreed that onlookers were not permitted.

Tessa felt a tremble run down her body as a Roka bird circled overhead while she yelled angrily. She had spent the previous nine years in the king's orphanage and was accustomed to all kinds of cruelty and pranks, but she couldn't recall ever feeling more anxious than she did right then.

She would have a new life if she passed this test.

Officers in the Warrior Kingdom were untouchable. Nobody would be able to steal her food once she was an officer-in-training, so she wouldn't starve to death. Nobody could force her to sleep on the chilly floor or confine her in the animal cages. Everyone would have to treat her equally and like a true warrior once she was an officer in training. They would no longer be able to harm her.

"Raise your bows! I said. The sergeant's voice reverberated off the walls of the inner keep.

Tessa took an arrow from her backpack quiver and set it on her bow. She cast her eyes around at the boys and girls waiting for the next order. They were more mature, taller, and more collected than she was. Never look at them; just concentrate!

"Aim!" The sergeant shouted.

With her eyes fixed on the target halfway down the practice yard, Tessa drew back the arrow. Before she could manage her nerves, her fingers briefly trembled.

"Release!"

Her arrow whirled through the air as it advanced towards its intended target. The sergeant approached the red circles, his blue uniform's crescents gleaming as he examined each arrow one by one. " Brandon from the Copper House Sara of the Rock House He passed four targets before pausing next to hers. And Tessa of the King's Ward House. The others may leave, but you three stay.

Tessa let out her previously held breath. The last round was here.

As they all waited for the sergeant's help to remove the arrows from the targets, Brandon and Sara exchanged startled stares with her. Tessa was able to comprehend their shock. She was the youngest contestant by at least three years, at the age of nine. It was extremely unusual for someone her age to pass the first two stages of the Officers Exams, but in the history of the Warrior Kingdom, it had only happened a few times for someone to get to the last step of Special Skills.

Of course, none of them would have anticipated her reaching this point even if it weren't for her age. She was bad mixed blood after all.

Her ash-black hair and green eyes stuck out like sores in a sea of blond heads and blue gazes. She was a bastard child who had been abandoned in the House of Kings Wards, an embarrassment to the pure-blood Warrior race. They had discovered her in the midst of the War of the Green Hills with just the words "This is Tessa" written on her. "Move the targets to the end of the courtyard!" a deep voice cried from behind them. "May you pardon my sin. When Tessa turned and saw Captain Jothan of the House of Gold approaching, the aids hurried to follow instructions.

She had heard his name a million times, but up until that point, she had only ever seen him from a distance. At 18 years old, he was the youngest captain the Warrior Kingdom had ever known. He was tall, strong, and unbelievably attractive. His silver belt designating his royal position shone in the waning daylight as his hair was pulled back in officer braids. Captain Jothan advanced, his sea-blue gaze passing over Tessa before resting on Brandon and Sara. She made an inadvertent gesture with her palm towards her freshly shaved hair.

The captain's eyes suddenly glowed strangely, and he looked away before saying to them all, "If none of your arrows hit the mark, the one that goes the farthest will win.

Tessa peered across the courtyard to the opposite end. She had only ever witnessed police shooting at that range. Captain Jothan had changed the contest's focus from accuracy to strength. Sara and Brandon were stronger than Tessa, despite the two years of labour she had put in!

When you're ready, fire. Stepping back, Jothan said

Sara aimed next to her. She shot her arrow up, and it landed a foot away from the target. It was a remarkable feat for her age, the Sergeant Aide murmured in surprise.

Following Sara, Brandon fired an arrow that almost missed Sara. The older girl grinned contentedly.

Tessa attached an arrow to her bow by removing it from the scabbard on her back. She watched in horror as the arrow plummeted to the ground because her hands were trembling so terribly that the arrow's slit missed the string.

"Mixed blood—what's wrong? Too terrified to fire? Brandon coughed.

Tessa turned her attention from Sara's smirk to his disdainful face. She was afraid, yet she wanted to deny the boy's claims. She was afraid that if she had to return to the orphanage, she wouldn't live.

She was helpless.

"Stop staring at them; start firing! Captain Jonathan was in charge. Though he spoke harshly, his eyes radiated calmness and alertness.

Tessa made a fist out of her fingers and looked down. He was correct; she was unable to become sidetracked. She was aware of what she had to do because it was her only chance of surviving.

She had to make a heat call.

She moved her feet, feeling the ground beneath her boots, and picked up the arrow off the floor. The sergeant vanished along with his assistants, Brandon, Sara, and Captain Jothan. Like she had been for the majority of her life, she was alone. eating by oneself in a nook. being alone in the playground. locked out of the house in the evening. Except for the heat emanating from the rocks, soil, and wind around her, she is alone.

She breathed slowly into the warmth as she closed her eyes. She was aware of the pain. She had only called the heat a few times, and only to protect herself, because that was what it usually did.

On my fingertips, a well-known tingling started. She saw colours in her mind's eye, including a sparkling green and a dark blue. Her feet opened the door for the warmth, which moved up her legs and into her chest before stopping and gathering there. The ache in her chest increased as the temperature rose. The Roka bird screamed loudly above.

Tessa opened her eyes, drew back the arrow, took aim, and shot.

Heat-infused, the arrow tore through the air, spinning endlessly until its point got stuck in the target's eye.

Sara shrieked. A bow belonging to Brandon hit the ground. The sergeant and his helpers all fixed their unwavering gaze on the arrow. Only Captain Jothan appeared to be able to move. He moved forward and peered at the other competitors.

You have earned the right to take the exam again the following year by reaching the final. There was no room for doubt in his speech. You could leave.

I agree, sir. Sara and Brandon uttered the same words. They departed the courtyard with the sergeant's assistance, but Tessa was unable to see their facial expressions. Since taking the shot, she has remained still. She was barely able to maintain her balance because the ache in her arms and legs felt like they were on fire.

"Sergeant, report the results of the officer examination to the council, said Jonathan.

I agree, sir.

Except for the captain and her, the courtyard was now deserted. She was beginning to feel sick. What time would he depart? Suddenly, his hands were on her arms; they briefly felt her muscles before pulling away.

You shouldn't have been able to do what you just accomplished. As he approached her, Jothan toned down his voice.

Tessa raised her eyes to meet his, blinking as she struggled to get the pain in her chest out of her mouth. She wanted to blame a sudden blow or claim she was lucky, but she was unable to speak before she doubled over.

She threw up all over the floor as her gut tightened angrily. Tessa closed her eyes to stifle the embarrassment and was relieved that the discomfort was starting to pass.

Now then, Green Eyes. You excelled. Jothan spoke over her and awkwardly patted her on the back.

You succeeded. just three short words. Nevertheless, those were the first words of support she had ever heard. Tessa stood up, wiping her lips with her sleeve as she looked incredulously at her superior.

Jothan retched and turned his head away. Pack your belongings and go to the police station.

Officers' housing. In the presence of unadulterated joy, the pain that had subsided into a dull throb vanished. She'd completed it. She was no longer required to reside in the home. She was secure.

Tessa lost herself and started to chuckle. It made a strange noise. A sound that, if ever, had escaped her lips before

"Are you really that happy? On his appealing face, Jonathan had a gentle smile.

"Sir, yes, I'm sorry, sir. Tessa rasped as she abruptly realised her error. She had received a command but was unmotivated to follow it. "Sir, I'll go pack.

Now that her body was moving in accordance with her will, she hastened away while Captain Jothan's interested eyes followed her.